Method and device for manufacturing buttons consisting of several elements



Sept. 20, 1966 A. ZACK 3,273,427

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MANUFACTURING BUTTONS CONSISTING OF SEVERAL ELEMENTS Filed 001;. 21, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 i 5 I 2a 7/614 7/ 9a.

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0 AGENT Sept. 20, 1966 A. ZACK 3,273,427

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MANUFACTURING BUTTONS CONSISTING OF SEVERAL ELEMENTS Filed Oct. 21, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 70, 7 a 6 5 M? a FIGA. 9 V

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Andra Zack INVENTOR United States Patent 3,273,427 METHOD AND DEVICE FOR MANUFACTURING BUTTONS CONSISTING OF SEVERAL ELE- MENTS Andr Zack, 13 Blvd. du Temple, Paris 13, France Filed Oct. 21, 1964, Ser. No. 405,480 Claims priority, application France, Dec. 10, 1963, 956,633, Patent 1,386,426 6 Claims. (Cl. 79-5) It is known to provide a hollow button comprising on the one hand an ornamental first center piece of any suitable and desired type, and on the other hand a second center piece provided with means for receiving the sewing yarn for fastening the button on a garment or the like. The present invention relates to the same type of buttons wherein a peripheral lining of any suitable covering material such as fabric, plastic, leather etc. is clamped between the two center pieces.

The button refered to comprises a concealed flexible cylindrical ring adapted to be held in position by the visible peripheral lining of the button, this ring being crimped by means of a two-step operation firstly over the edge of the shell and then over the edge of the base.

The improvements according to my present invention aim more particularly at simplifying to a greater degree the method and means necessary for manufacturing a button of this type, by effecting the aforedescribed crimping operation not in two steps but in a single step.

Thus, this invention provides new manufacturing means for making the aforementioned button.

According to the operating procedure of this invention, which is common to the various contemplated manufacturing methods, the ornamental first center piece is laid into a lower die member formed with a crimping bevel, then the cylindrical ring and a fabric disk are introduced into an intermediate die member adapted to fit in the lower die member, the intermediate die member being open on both its lower and upper faces, and the second center piece is introduced into an upper die member also formed with a crimping bevel, the upper die member being insertable in the intermediate die member, whereafter the axially assembled die members are placed in a press whereby the crimping of the fabric-shrouded cylindrical ring over the two center pieces is effected through the intermediate die member by simultaneously moving the above-defined crimping bevels toward each other relatively.

The characteristic features of this operating procedure and of the various means necessary for carrying it out will appear as the following description proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawing showing diagrammatically by way of example various embodiments of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a diagramatic axial section showing the operating step preliminary to the simultaneous introduction of the deformable cylindrical ring and the fabric disk into the intermediate die member;

FIG. 2 is a corresponding view, showing the deformable cylindrical ring and the fabric disk already positioned in the intermediate die member;

FIG. 3 shows in exploded axial section the various component elements of the complete die, i.e, its lower member, intermediate member and upper member;

FIG. 4 shows the finished button;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrammatic exploded views showing also in axial section two different embodiments of dies suitable for carrying out the improved manufacturing procedure of this invention; and

FIG. 7 is a partly sectional view of all the elements of FIG. 2 assembled preparatory to the final crimping step.

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According to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawing, the reference numeral 1 designates the lower die which receives the disk-shaped ornamental center piece 4 of the button; at 2 there is shown the intermediate die receiving the deformable cylindrical ring 5 and the fabric disk 6, and at 3 is shown the upper die receiving another disk-shaped center piece 7 which, as clearly seen in the drawing, is substantially coextensive with center piece 4 but narrower than ring 5. From FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that to insert the ring 5 and disk 6 into the intermediate die 2 a ringpusher 8 is used which is formed with a slightly bulged bottom face 8a and with a cylindrical shouldered portion 8b adapted to receive, guide and depress the ring 5. After removal of the pusher 8, the ring 5 and the now deformed disk 6 are held in position by frictional contact with the inner wall of die member 2.

The lower die member 1 comprises essentially an annular body 9 fixed to a base 10 and formed with a recess 9a adapted to receive the corresponding portion 2a of the intermediate die 2. Two elements are mounted in this annular body 9, i.e. an annular insert 11. formed with a crimping bevel 11a and resiliently urged upwardly by light springs 12, and a hollow central boss 13 slidable in the peripheral element 11. The central boss 13 is resiliently supported by a spring 14 surrounding a screw 15 which engages the concealed portion of central boss 13 and is formed with a fiat head 15a; this screw 15 is adapted to move axially in a corresponding bore formed in plate 10. By turning the screw 15 in the central boss 13 to a greater or lesser extent, the permissible axial downward stroke of said central boss 13 may be adjusted at will.

The upper die 3 comprises essentially a socket 16, adapted to receive the center piece 7. Piston means comprising a punch member 17 is adapted slidably to engage the socket 16. This socket 16 is formed with an inner beveled lower edge 16a. It will be readily understood that the function of this beveled edge 16a i complementary to that of bevel 11a for simultaneously crimping the ring 5 over the center pieces 4 and 7, thereby resulting in the button structure illustrated in FIG. 4.

From the above description of the die means provided by this invention, the following specific feature will readily appear:

(a) The dome-shaped bottom face So of ring-pusher 8 serves the purpose of imparting some degree of slack, fullness or spread to the fabric disk 6 pushed into the intermediate die 2, thus enabling the ornamental center piece 4 to fit with greater facility on the two elements 11, 13 of the lower die;

(b) The center piece 4, initially centered by its peripheral engagement with the annular insert 11 of the lower die 1, thereafter comes to rest on the central boss 13 producing a greater elastic thrust, after the peripheral element 11 has been pushed down by the intermediate die 2, during the crimping operation proper, so that the lower edge of ring 5 may engage the underside of the peripheral edge of the ornamental center piece 4.

It may be added that it is advantageous to provide in the bottom of the punch member 17 a. milled recess 17:: for properly positioning the base angularly with respect to the ornamental center piece 4, so that the finished button may be sewn, especially in case of machine sewing, with the certainty that the center piece 4 will have the desired relative angular position. To this end, the milled recess 17a will have dimensions permitting the ingress of the base ring 7a.

The procedure to be adhered to for manufacturing a button will be readily apparent from the above description. This procedure is as follows:

The center piece 4 of the button is first laid into the central bore of the lower die 1, then the intermediate die 2 is disposed on this lower die 1 and the fabric disk 6 is laid upon the top of the intermediate die 2; the ringpusher 8 with its ring 5 is subsequently introduced into intermediate die 2 until it contacts the first center piece 4 through the intermediary of fabric 6; then the second center piece 7 is inserted into the upper die 3, and the latter is sunk into the intermediate die 2. Punch member 17 of the piston means is inserted in upper die 3 and the complete assembly, shown in FIG. 7, is placed in a press. The simultaneous crimping of the ring 5 over the center piece 4 and center piece 7 takes place in a single step or at a single stroke, the peripheral edge of the fabric disk 6 being thus folded back into the center piece 7.

In the alternate embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 the same operating procedure is adhered to but the lower die differs slightly from the above-described one. This modified lower die comprises essentially an integral punch element 18 similar to the confronting punch element 17 and a socket 19 similar to the confronting socket 116. Like socket 16, this socket 19 comprises a crimping bevel 19a. Moreover, the punch element 18 comprises along its peripheral edge a flange 18a supporting the peripheral edge of the center piece 4 during the crimping operation.

Furthermore, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the arrangement of the lower die member is also slightly diflerent from the preceding ones. Here, the body 20 opens upwards and is adapted to receive an annular element 21 formed with a crimping bevel 21a mounted on spring means of relatively moderate elastic force, as shown at 22 and 23. Lateral grooves 24 cooperating with screw means 25 limit the permissible sliding movement of element 21. The central portion of the die body 20 is formed with a collar 20a having a central bore terminating with a bevel 20b constituting an extension or continuation of the bevel 21a. A central boss 26 similar to the central boss 13 of FIG. 3 is fitted in the bore of the collar 20a. The spring 27 resiliently supporting the boss 26 is similar to spring 14 and relatively strong as compared with springs 22, 23. The simultaneous crimping operation is also carried out as in the preceding case.

Of course, many modifications and variations maybe brought to the embodiments of this invention specifically shown and described herein, without however departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. Thus, notably, reference marks may be provided on the various component elements of the die assembly in order to permit or facilitate the suitable relative positioning of the various component elements of the button to be assembled.

What I claim is:

1. A device for making a button having a pair of confronting disc-shaped center pieces peripherally interconnected by a fabricshrouded ring, comprising:

(a) a lower die having a depression surrounded by a 4 beveled horizontal peripheral edge for receiving a first disc-shaped center piece;

(b) an annular intermediate die with a vertical bore of constant cross-section removably positioned on said lower die, said bore registering with said beveled edge;

(c) a tubular upper die slidably fitting in said bore, said upper die having a beveled lower peripheral edge confronting said beveled horizontal edge of said lower die;

(d) and piston means removably fitting into said upper die for assembling within said bore a second center piece substantially coextensive with said first center piece, a ring wider than said center pieces but narrower than said bore, and a fabric disc larger than said ring separating said ring from said center pieces and from the wall of said bore, with said center pieces and part of said fabric disc received within said ring, whereby subsequent application of axial pressure to said upper and lower dies brings said beveled edges into engagement with said ring through the intermediary of said fabric disc with consequent crimping of said ring and fabric disc around the peripheries of said center pieces to form a unitary structure.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said piston means comprises a plunger engageable with said second center piece, said plunger having a recess for accommodating a shank on said second center piece.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said lower die is provided with a base, a central boss resiliently supported above said base and formed with said depression, a resiliently supported annular insert surrounding said boss and bearing said beveled horizontal edge.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said lower die further includes a collar rigid with said base interposed between said boss and said insert, said collar having a beveled peripheral edge positioned for alignment with said beveled horizontal edge of said insert upon a depression of the latter against its resilient support.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 wherein the resilient support for said boss comprises a relatively strong spring assembly and the resilient support for said insert comprises a relatively weak spring assembly.

6. A device as defined in claim 3, further comprising stop means on said lower die for limiting upward movement of said insert by its resilient support.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 396,425 1/ 1889 Pfenning 795 443,417 12/1890 Thurston 795 467,394 1/1892 Bender 795 GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner. 

